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HARWINTON, CT – As we were getting ready to leave the Springfield Motorcycle Show at the Eastern States Exposition last Saturday, motorcycling friends Brian O’Neill 
and Roland Smith looked at the crowd of riders in the hall and observed that maybe next year we should rent a booth and hawk an assisted living facility.
Yes, the attendees were decidedly old, the kind with more riding years in the rear-view mirror than ahead of them.
The wisecrack came to mind when I picked up “USA Today” yesterday and read the story that proclaimed “Millennials spurn driver’s licenses, study finds.”
The report, released Tuesday by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, revealed that only 76.7 percent of people ages 20 to 24 possess a driver’s license. That’s down from 79.7 percent in 2011, 82 percent in 2008 and 91.8 percent in 1983.
Additionally, the report stated that only 24.5 percent of 16-year-olds had a driver’s license in 2014, down from 27.5 percent in 2011, 31.1 percent in 2008 and 46.2 percent in 1983.
When I was a teen – turned 16 in 1969 – the No. 1 priority was to get a driver’s license. Granted, they were made of paper back then and could be altered, so we could drive to New York where the drinking age was 18 and use the fudged document to buy beer and Boone’s Farm wine.
The “USA Today” story pointed to ride-sharing services (Uber and Lyft), the cost of cars, and social media and smartphones, which allow friends to be in constant communication, as the reasons why young adults are eschewing driver’s licenses. If cars are “less important or less accessible to Millennials,” as the story suggested, what does mean for the future of motorcycling and the industry?
Back in the 1960s, Honda had the ubiquitous TV campaign that “You meet the nicest people on a Honda.” Who’s out there today making the argument that motorcycles are cool or fun? And have motorcycles, like cars, become too expensive to be considered?
Given the rapidly-aging motorcycling populace and the changing habits of youth, the future of motorcycling could be shaky. Dealer Perspective columnist Bob Rosen will address this more in depth in an upcoming column. Just wanted to pass along the stats here.
Although I see younger guys and girls riding, I think the biggest hurdle is cost. Just to get a car license is expensive when you consider the cost of driver ed. The biggest cost is insurance, and a lack of jobs for younger people adds to the issue. Mom and Dad don’t want to or can’t afford to pay for their kids insurance. After not riding for 23 years myself, I had sticker shock when I looked at the price of bikes. My first one was under $800.00 for a new bike.
As for the show, my wife and I started going when I started riding again, but it’s expensive for what it is, the same old thing and vendors. Back when I rode before, I remember the bike shows in the Hartford Civic Center with a lot of dealers and all types of bikes to look at. We haven’t made the last two years and can’t say I missed anything.
It’s also much harder to get a license now and we all know this generation has ZERO motivation. My kids love to ride their quads. Hopefully, like dad, they will get their motorcycle license. I had mine at 17 and what a great ride it’s been.
I think it comes down to these kids not willing to do anything for themselves. It’s just way easier to have mommy or daddy take you places than to do it for yourself. Having seen the little twerps actually drive, we collectively should be breathing a sigh of relief. Less of them means it’s slightly safer for us two wheeled folks…..slightly!